


Home Run Heart

by CitrusKix



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Aged Up, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Baseball, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 11:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14543340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CitrusKix/pseuds/CitrusKix
Summary: Back in Hope’s Peak Academy, Leon Kuwata was asked out by Makoto Naegi, and he agreed under one condition - their relationship must be kept a secret.That was three years ago. Now, the two are going out to dinner to celebrate Leon’s first league victory in baseball. But the issues of the past come up, and Leon must confront it.-Non-Despair AU where the characters are aged up a bit, and Leon’s a professional baseball player-(This was originally posted on my Amino account, and being transferred here)





	Home Run Heart

“And with that, at a score of 38 to 3, the Bobtails have beat the Shoguns and won the championship of the 20XX NPB tournament!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, as we started running out to the field to celebrate our victory as a team. The victory fanfare started playing, and both teams went to their respective exits. Along the way, I heard some shrills of cheers from nearby girls.

“Kuwata, you’re so amazing!” “Be my husband, Kuwata, I love you!” “You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of!” Being polite, I flashed them a brief smile and a peace sign, before turning away. Unbeknownst to the public eye, I actually had a significant other. One I’ve been seeing for a while.

Some time passed by, and the coach approached me after I had redressed into some casual wear. “Kuwata,” he started, “I just wanted to say congratulations on winning your first season as a professional. Hope’s Peak wasn’t kidding when they said you were skilled.” He patted me on the shoulder and started walking away. “Cya when training starts up, kid.”

Smiling with pride, I drove to my place, and quickly entered. I have no time to waste tonight. I have a dinner to attend to.

Changing yet again to a bright blue vest over a white button up shirt with a black bow tie, black pants and white dress shoes, I combed my usually messy hair back slightly and gelled it to keep it in place, and trimmed my small beard to keep it even. And with that, I was off yet again.

On the drive over, I set up a message from my car to be sent over to my significant other. “Yo Naegs,” I began, “I’m on my way over. Cya in a bit, babe. Love you!”

Makoto Naegi. We attended Hope’s Peak together in the same class, and became relatively close friends during our time there. But he was the one to take things up a notch when he decided to confess to me in privacy during our final year at the prestigious high school. I accepted, under the circumstances we kept it under wraps for a while. It’s been almost 3 years since then.

I parked in a vacant parking lot, and made my way over to the complex the Naegi siblings lived in. I knocked on the door, and it was Komaru who answered. “Oh, hey! Come in!” I walked into their doorway, thanking her, as she closed the door behind me.

“Makoto’s still getting ready, so sorry for the hold up. But when he’s ready, we’ll get going to the mall!” I was confused. “Wait, what about dinner reservations?” I asked. She laughed. “That’s not until 10:30, Kuwata! And right now, it’s... 9:13! We’ve got plenty of time!”

“Yeah, p-plenty of time to slack off and be lazy. Why can’t we j-just order take out instead?” I peered over into the room on my right. “Oh, glad to see you’re not dead Fukawa.”

Toko Fukawa. Komaru’s best friend, and a former classmate of Makoto and mine. She’s a successful author with over 180 books under her wing, with her most successful ones being her romance novels, geared towards teenagers. She’s an absolute hopeless romantic.

“So, how it’s going with stalking Togami? Has he put a restraining order on you yet?” I joked. She sneered, and threw one of the couch pillows beside her at my face. “Sh-Shut up! Master is a wonderful person!” she hissed at me, curling her legs towards her. “Besides, he’s a million times better th-than you, you germ.” “GERM?!?” I retaliated angrily.

“H-Hey, both of you, cut it out! We’re all friends here, right?”

I turned around, and saw Makoto dressed in a white button up with a forest green tie, a buttoned black coat, black pants, and black dress shoes. Easing up, I walked up to him and grabbed his hand. “Hey Naegs.” I softly spoke. A gentle blush grew on his face. “Hey Leon.” Toko groaned from the couch. “Take it somewhere else, you lovebirds.” “Hey, Toko...” Komaru pouted, “Be nice. And get up, we’re leaving right now.”

Toko got up from the couch, and straightened out her dress. It was a long lavender halter dress, stretching down her ankles. Komaru was outfitted in a bright green bodycon, with the region near her right thigh exposing it, a thin gold necklace, and silver hoop earrings. “F-Fine.” Toko complied. “Let’s get going...”

We packed into my car, with Makoto taking the passenger’s seat. I turned on the radio, with Guns and Roses playing, and we were off. Komaru and Toko chatted in the back, and Makoto and I held hands throughout the drive, occasionally stealing glances of admiration from one another.

Eventually, we arrived at the mall, and got out of the car. “So, what do you guys wanna see first?” I asked. “Ooh ooh! Let’s go see if they have a little animal store inside!” Komaru chimed in, before looking visibly upset. “Oh, right... Toko’s allergic to dogs...” “Uh, n-no I’m not,” the purple haired girl retaliated, “I’m just not fond of them...” “Okay!” Komaru replied, life bouncing back into her eyes, “Let’s get going!”

As we walked on over to the animal store, passing by crowds of people, some muttered to themselves that peaked our ears. “Hey, isn’t that Leon Kuwata?” “What’s that baseball guy doing here?” “Ooh, I wonder if he’ll stop for an autograph.” “Are those his friends or something?” “Leon...” Makoto whispered to me, “I’m getting a little uncomfortable with them talking about us like this...” I nodded. “Me too. Best thing we can do is just ignore them, and pick up the pace.”

Hurrying along, the four of us eventually arrived at the animal store. There were toys in wooden bins, treats in sealed plastic bags, and some books about proper care taking and health etiquettes on display. “Hey, th-this could be useful...” Toko verbalized. “Hm? What for?” I asked in response. She jeered at me, with a glare of disdain in her eyes. “So M-Makoto could take b-better care of you, you mutt.”

Sensing the anger building up within me, Komaru intervened whilst laughing awkwardly. “So uh... Toko! You could totally use that book to help write about animals in the future!” The purple haired girl softened her grimace, and nodded in agreement with Komaru’s statement.

“Oh my god, is that THE Leon Kuwata? Gah, I’m such a big fan!”

The four of us turned around to see a teenage girl, wearing a puffy pink blouse and ripped jeans. “Hey, always glad to meet a fan!” I said, immediately putting on my public persona. “Kyah, you have no idea how much I admire your skills! You put so much life into that crusty old sport, and-“ she stopped rambling as she saw Makoto behind me. “Oh. My. God. Are you gay? Kyah, I ship it already!”

“N-No!” I quickly retaliated. “We’re just friends!” The girl eyed him momentarily, before shrugging. “Alrighty. Sorry for bothering you with that! I’d ask for like, an autograph or something, but I can tell you’re super busy or something! Take care!” And with that, the eccentric fan danced off, merging with the crowd.

The four of us stood there momentarily, unsure of what to do. “Leon. Car. Now.” Komaru stated. I turned around to see her, with a scowl etched onto her face. Sensing the urgency, I followed her, leaving Makoto and Toko by themselves at the store.

Hurrying along to the car, I found Komaru just standing there, her shoulders tense and head lowered. “H-Hey,” I started as I reached out to her, “is everything-“

And then she slapped me.

“Why the hell would you treat Makoto like that?! “How dare you treat him like he’s just a friend to you?!” she screamed at me. “How dare you keep on treating him like that when your relationship is more than that?! How dare you ignore the fact that he’s been silently suffering this whole time because of your petty need to stay closeted?!”

I rubbed my cheek, taken aback by her words. Was... was Makoto really suffering? How the heck did I not notice it?

“And one more thing,” Komaru added, stifling her tears, “nobody will give a damn if you’re into guys or not if you surround yourself with the right kind of people. Because all you’re doing right now... is hurting your boyfriend. Way more than you think.”

And then it hit me. Since Day 1 of our relationship, it’s all been hidden from the public eye. But it was hidden for my sake. I never took Makoto’s thoughts on it into consideration until this moment, 3 years after we started dating.

God, just how pathetic of a boyfriend do I have to be to not see his silent suffering? How the hell could I have never asked him how he felt? Would he even have answered it with the truth, or would he lie to me and say that he was okay?

I started shaking. “Oh... damn...” I placed my hand on my forehead, wiping the cold sweat that quickly grew on it. “I... I never knew... I just-”

“Hey, we’re back.”

I looked up to see Makoto with Toko, with the latter carrying a book in her hand. “Toko decided to get the book she found.” Makoto turned to look at me. “Hey, you okay Leon?” Of course I’m not, I just found out I’ve been hurting you this whole time. “Y-Yeah, I’m just a little anxious to get to the place.” Komaru frowned wryly. “Well,” I quickly said, trying to avoid any more tensions, “it’s almost 10:30 anyways. Let’s get a move on.”

We all piled back into the car, and drove off. On the drive, I held Makoto’s hand tightly. “H-Hey, Leon, you’re gripping my hand too hard...” Makoto winced. I let go instantaneously. “S-Sorry.” He looked at me quizzically. “Leon, is everything okay?” I nodded. “Huh? Oh uh, yeah, it’s just... I just have a lot on my mind right now.” He slowly nodded, and the rest of the drive was eerily quiet.

Eventually, we arrived at the high class restaurant. It was made of dulled red bricks, and grapevines grew on its sides. “O-Odd to see g-g-grapevines here in Japan...” Toko commented. We entered the place, where a male host greeted us. “Hi, Leon Kuwata, party of 4? I made reservations.” He looked through the list, before nodding. “Of course. Follow me.”

He guided us to our table, and we sat down. “Your server will be with you momentarily.” And with that, he left the four of us in our silence. I sat next to Komaru, and Makoto sat right in front of me. In his attempt to break the silence, Makoto started a conversation.

“So, congrats on winning your game today, Leon. How did it feel?” “...Alright, I guess.” “...Oh. Okay...”

The server came by with menus and filled all our glasses with iced water. “Please, take your time.” As fast as he came by, he left.

I opened my menu, and looked through all the options they had on it. Many looked good, but I needed to find something appropriate for my baseball career... what to pick, what to pick...?

Hey, how about a plate of “I’m-A-Terrible-Boyfriend-For-Ignoring-My-Boyfriend’s-Issues”, with a bowl of “I-Feel-Immensely-Guilty-For-My-Ignorance” soup? Or maybe a large “What-The-Hell-Is-My-Deal” and a “Dear-God-I’m-So-Stupid” salad? That sounds amazing right about now! Really fitting for the damn idiot I am.

Without realizing it, the server had already returned to take our orders. Mindlessly, I just uttered the last thing I saw on the menu, and handed it back to him. Slowly, I turned my attention over to Makoto to avoid being seen as odd.

“So, Naegs,” I started, “how’s the job hunt going?” He set down the glass he was drinking from. “Well enough, I guess. I mean, I found a few decently paying jobs, but I need to be interviewed soon by them if I want any chance at being there.” I nodded along. “Yeah, I can imagine how painful job interviews are...”

Silence loomed over the four of us once more, nobody wanting to break it - not yet, at least. The noises of the light chatter around us, the clinking of cutleries on nearby plates, and the soft piano and cello notes being plastered were the only things our ears heard. Not each other’s words.

The minutes of silence that seemed to be eternal eventually passed on, and all of our food arrived to our table. Apparently, I had ordered a veal roast with a side of focaccia. Coach would be mad at me if he saw the bread sitting right next to my meat... but at least the season’s over.

The four of us dined in utter silence. Each bite I took made me feel heavier and heavier. Not from the calories... but from the guilt of not realizing Makoto’s internal suffering, and my lack of action to respond to it. Every sliver of meat and bread crumb was jam-packed with dread, agony, guilt... despair.

I needed to tell him I’m sorry.

I quickly fiddled with my wallet underneath the table and pulled out my debit card. Tapping Komaru’s thigh with it, I gently nudged it over to her hand, which she took from me. “So uh, I need to go... freshen up a bit.” Komaru started as she got up from her seat, hiding my debit card from sight. “C’mon Toko, let’s go.” “H-Huh? But I don’t need to-“ Toko started rebutting, before caving in. “...F-Fine... I’ll tag along.” And the two girls left, leaving me and Makoto by ourselves.

“That was odd...” Makoto commented, oblivious to the situation. “So uh... I guess that just leaves the two of us by ourselves for now, huh?” He slightly chuckled. “You know, we don’t usually get-“

“Makoto.”

He stopped talking. “Leon, is something wrong?” I hesitated for a moment, but quickly responded. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry we have to keep our relationship a secret. I’m sorry that we can’t be open about the two of us dating. But most importantly... I’m sorry for never taking into consideration how you felt about this.” I sighed. “You’re probably secretly mad at me or something.”

“N-No, Leon, it’s fine, really! Honestly, it’s also kind of my fault for... for not being honest with you about my feelings. I’m sure if I told you, you would’ve changed something so we’d both be happy. And really... I just want to love you, no matter what. I already do.” Makoto reached his palm out, and I gently encased it with my two hands.

“You mean the absolute world to me, Makoto. And tonight, I want to be able to prove it to you.” I let go of his hand, and stood up. “Come on. I want to show you something.” “W-Wait, what about Toko and Komaru?” he inquired. “I gave Komaru my debit card, so they could pay for the food, and this place isn’t too far from your complex anyways. So come on. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

Nodding in affirmation, the two of us walked over to the car and got in. I turned on the radio, and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” turned on. “Oho, trying to set the mood?” Makoto teased. I laughed. “Maybe.” I reached out my free hand to his, and we intertwined our fingers with each other’s. “God, I love you. You know that?” Makoto blushed a light pink. “Y-Yeah, of course... I love you too.” The engine revved, I pulled out of the parking lot, and we left the restaurant behind.

The drive took the two of us out of the city, past the suburbs, and into the rural regions. “H-Hey,” Makoto started concerned, “where exactly where are we go?” I snickered. “There’s this view that I really want to show you. Trust me, you’ll like it.”

Slowly, but surely, the car arrived to the place. “Well, here we are!” I said. “Let’s get out.” We stepped out of the car, and Makoto’s eyes filled with awe. “Oh, wow...! This is so pretty!” It was a cliff overlooking the ocean water and the beach below, with a single black pine tree nearby.

“I used to come here a lot when I was younger.” I commented. “And I came back here the day after we started dating. It holds a lot of fond memories for me. So... I wanted to share it with you.” A deep red blush formed on Makoto’s face that he tried to cover up. “L-Leon, you really didn’t have to do this!” I walked up to him, and grabbed his hand. “I didn’t have to. But I wanted to. I wanted to share the happy moments I had here. But more importantly, I want to make more happy moments with you here.”

Surprising him, I pounced on him, and pinned him to the ground while showering him with a barrage of kisses on his cheek and neck. “H-Hey, Leon!” Makoto managed to utter in between laughs, “C-Cut it out!” “Never,” I replied, stopping the barrage momentarily, “not until I stop loving you.”

We stopped immediately after I said that, and burst into laughter. “Oh wow, that was hella cheesy, huh?” I asked. “Yeah, it was. But it was also really cute.” I smirked. “Cute, huh? Well it ain’t as cute as you, Naegs.” I pecked him on the lips really quickly, and drew him close to my chest.

“You wanna know how much I love you?” He looked up at me with a devious grin. “How much?” He asked. “Not even the world could hold my love back for you.” Makoto burst into more laughter, pulling himself away from me. “Okay, you really got to stop, you sound like we’re in high school again!” My face reddened. “Alright, I’ll tone it down. Let’s do something else instead. Something more... casual.”

I walked on over to the black pine tree, and sat down under it, patting the region next to me. “C’mon, you know you want to.” I teasingly cooed at Makoto. Slightly snickering, he sat down next to me, and leaned his head onto my shoulder. “This is nice.” He purred. I nodded.

We stared out to the ocean water, glimmering under the moonlight. “I love you Makoto.” I whispered. “I love you too.” And we sat in harmonious silence, taking in the moment as it is.

After a few moments, I decided to break the silence. “Hey.” “Hm?” He hummed, looking up at me. “I’m gonna come out tomorrow. I don’t want our relationship to be a secret anymore. I want more moments like this between the two of us.” Makoto sighed peacefully. “That’s a relief... how do you think your coach is going to respond?” I shrugged. “Honestly, I couldn’t care less what he thinks. You’re more important anyways.”

Makoto got up from beside me. “It’s getting pretty late. We should probably get going.” I nodded in agreement, and got up, stretching my arms. “Alright, let’s go.” We held each other’s hands, and walked back to the car. Getting in, we drove off to the complex, talking about our future together along the way.

We eventually got to the complex, and Naegi opened his door. “Alright, we’re here. Tonight was wonderful, Leon.” I smirked. “Yeah it was, ‘cuz it was with you.” We leaned in momentarily, and I leaned in slightly more for a surprise kiss, getting a giggle in response. Makoto got out of his seat, and turned around to face me. “Love you!” “Love you too, Naegs!” He closed the door, and I drove back home shortly after.

‘Today was eventful.’ I thought to myself. ‘A lot happened.’ I arrived back to my place, got out of the car, locked it, and went inside. ‘I realized my mistakes, and now I’m gonna start fixing them.’ I went up the stairs to my room, and threw off my tuxedo, changing into more comfortable bedroom attire. I turned off the lights, crawled into my bed, and curled up under the sheets. ‘I wonder how tomorrow will be...’ I began to doze off. ‘Let’s just hope it’s another day to be with Makoto.’ And with that, I fell asleep, thinking of the future that Makoto and I will make... together.


End file.
